Our skin is constantly renewing itself. We shed skin cells every day and every day new ones grow in their place. Have you ever watched a cut heal? It’s kind of cool to monitor it as the cut decreases in size and how the new skin is red and soft. Over time, depending on where the skin is, you’ll find that it’ll toughen up once more. It’s kind of amazing what our skin can do when we put it through such difficult tasks each day.

But that’s not the only time our skin grows:

It’s natural for your skin to sprout new bumps and blemishes over the years. The common growths described here can usually be left alone—and some should be. If you’d rather have them removed, it’s critical to do it the safest way and to go to the right professional.

Today, family doctors and aestheticians (people who administer facials, peels, and other skin treatments) advertise this type of care, sometimes offering to do it with powerful lasers. Even health care clinics at Walgreens offer to snip off skin tags.

But “you should never get anything removed from your skin without seeing a dermatologist first,” says Jessica Krant, M.D., a dermatologist and member of Consumer Reports’ medical advisory board. The American Academy of Dermatology agrees, and warns people about nondermatologists removing growths.

One major reason: Cancerous growths can resemble benign ones. And research has found that people who aren’t dermatologists often miss them. “These practitioners aren’t trained in dermatology,” says Lauren Ploch, M.D., a member of the American Academy of Dermatology. “In some cases, they may have only taken a weekend course. I worry that they’ll miss something or treat it inappropriately.” When family doctors do refer people to a dermatologist for an evaluation of a suspicious mark, it’s often found to be benign.

Now that you’ve read that article you can answer yes to that question. You’re now more informed about these four common skin conditions and even educated on what to do about them. The conditions mentioned are very harmless, in most cases. More often than not these issues become a major problem when they get infected. That means you should leave them alone and not poke and prod them. Not only can an infection be nasty stuff, it could also lead to scarring.

All four of the skin disorders mentioned in the article present themselves in the form of bumps and lumps. That’s why it’s important to give your body a scan with your eyes and hands once a month, if not more frequently, to make sure you aren’t currently suffering from these issues.

They can be removed safely and often painlessly. Luckily as well, your insurance may cover the cost of getting these bits of unsightly flesh removed.